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Pair busted in Texas out on bond

Two Catawba County residents are out of a Texas jail after being arrested for possessing more than $1 million in drugs.

Chelsea Elizabeth McDowell, 25, of Hickory, and Terry Alexander Bumgarner, 47, of Newton, were released from Gregg County jail Tuesday in Longview, Texas, on $300,000 bonds each.

A Texas Department of Public Safety officer allegedly found 30 pounds of crystal methamphetamine secured in a false compartment in McDowell and Bumgarner's vehicle after a routine traffic stop Jan. 29.

The street value of the drugs was estimated at $1.3 million.

McDowell and Bumgarner were traveling on Texas' Interstate 20 when the officer pulled over their vehicle for a defective license plate light.

Robyn Claridy of the Longview News-Journal in Texas contributed to this report.